Che-che accused of wiretapping

Veteran broadcaster and journalism professor Che-che Lazaro was accused yesterday of broadcasting a wiretapped interview.

In separate complaints filed yesterday with the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office, Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) vice president Ella Valencerina said Lazaro, whose real name is Cecilia Lazaro, taped their telephone conversation last Nov. 11.

Valencerina, who also heads the GSIS Public Relations and Communications Office, said Lazaro later aired part of their conversation without her knowledge and consent.

Aside from Lazaro, other officers and staff members from Probe Productions and ABS-CBN were named respondents to the complaint, including ABS-CBN president and chief operating officer Ma. Rosario Santos-Concio, ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs Division head Maria Angelita Ressa, ANC chief operating officer Glenda Gloria, and ANC Director for Current Affairs and Channel Operations David Celdran.

In her complaint-affidavit, Valencerina said Lazaro called her up last Nov. 11, requesting an interview for Probe on the GSIS’s Premium Based Policy, a topic of the Probe in its Nov. 12 episode.

Valencerina said she politely explained to Lazaro that the GSIS cannot grant the interview, citing GSIS’s history of getting unfair and unfavorable coverage and reporting from shows aired by Lopez-owned media entities such as ABS-CBN.

During the course of the conversation, Valencerina even asked Lazaro not to record what they were discussing.

A day after the phone call, Valencerina also wrote Probe Productions, saying that apart from GSIS’s issues with the Lopez media group, GSIS cannot go on air to comment on the show’s topic, Premium Based Policy, because the matter is also the subject of pending cases in the Court of Appeals and Office of the Ombudsman.

“As such, GSIS and its officials are not allowed to publicly discuss the Premium Based Policy lest I or any officials of the GSIS be the subject of sanctions from the said court or investigative body,” she explained.

The Probe episode was aired over ABS-CBN last Nov. 12 and to Valencerina’s surprise, she saw a video of Lazaro talking with her on the phone.

She said not only was the taping of a private communication an unethical method of gathering news, but it was also illegal because it violates Republic Act 4200 or the Anti-Wiretapping Act.

Valencerina cited Section One of RA 4200: “It shall be unlawful for any person, not being authorized by all the parties to any private communication or spoken word, to tap any wire or cable, or by using any other device or arrangement, to secretly overhear, intercept, or record such communication.”

The same provision also says it is unlawful for any person to replay an unauthorized recording for any other person or persons, in this case, to the viewers of ABS-CBN and ANC.

If found guilty, Lazaro and the respondents could face up to six years’ imprisonment for illegal wiretapping, as defined and penalized under RA 4200.

ABS-CBN officials said they have not received a copy of the complaint filed by the GSIS, but they would look into its merits and publicly disclose what they find.

“During their prolonged battle, both GSIS and Meralco have complained about our coverage. Both said we’re biased against them. That, to us, means we’re doing it right.”

“We ask GSIS to concentrate on their message and solve their problems instead of shooting the messenger.”